Microsoft admits IE 8 (and more!) will be removable in Windows 7

After a few days of silence on the topic, Microsoft admits that it will allow users to remove IE 8 from Windows 7. But wait, there's more...

In Windows 7 we are expanding the number of features you have control over in this regard, giving customers more control, flexibility and choice in managing the features available in this version of Windows. In addition to the features that were already available to turn on or off in Windows Vista, we’ve added the following features to the list in Windows 7:

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Center

Windows DVD Maker

Internet Explorer 8

Windows Search

Handwriting Recognition (through the Tablet PC Components option)

Windows Gadget Platform

Fax and Scan

XPS Viewer and Services (including the Virtual Print Driver)

It is worth describing the details of “remove” since this too is a place where there are engineering and customer decisions to be made. We’ve already seen one decision which is to make sure we keep the features staged for future use so that a DVD is not required. A second decision is that we also continue to support the APIs available for features where these APIs are necessary to the functionality of Windows or where there are APIs that are used by developers that can be viewed as independent of the component. As many of you know these are often referred to as “dependencies” and with Windows the dependencies can run both internal to Windows and external for ISVs.

Amazing. (I thought Windows DVD Maker was not included with Windows 7, however.) … I was thinking of Windows Movie Maker. Note to self: Don't post to blog when you're exhausted. --Paul

Discuss this Article 25

this leaves no argument for anti-trust cases in the future. of you remove all these components you will get a true bare bone OS. NICE
I usually uninstall Fax and Scan and Tablet PC components anyway on Vista/Windows 7.
Tablet PC components should have followed the Windows Mobile Device Center pattern and only install when a digitizer/touch panel is present on the system.
I am not sure about the Windows Search removal though... Will alternative providers give the same level of functionality and integration with the UI?

It's worth noting the following section of that blog posting:
"we also continue to support the APIs available for features where these APIs are necessary to the functionality of Windows or where there are APIs that are used by developers that can be viewed as independent of the component. As many of you know these are often referred to as “dependencies” and with Windows the dependencies can run both internal to Windows and external for ISVs."
In other words, the removal of certain features doesn't necessarily mean that they are completely gone. Especially in the case of Internet Explorer, many third-party apps depend on the IE APIs being available for HTML rendering. These apps would break if the IE rendering engine was removed along with the IE app. I suspect that Windows Media Player also has many third-party dependencies.

Its finally good to see Microsoft unclenching its fist and grip over the various applications within Windows. You don't need IE or WMP for Windows to be successful. You don't need all these features in each and ever consumer version. If you want to play around with the system and you'll take a component or two and do something else. This was the beauty of Windows 95, partially to Windows 98, and definitely in Windows 2000. However, the tigher the integration and you lose the maleability of the Windows OS.
Windows will be successful just off its name recodnition and its deep ties to both Enterprise and Consumers. By making Windows like modeling clay to use an example, you're giving consumers a chance to do things their way. Thats what I loved about the 9x Windows. However, as we saw with Windows XP and 2000 to some extent, that deep integration has its price and its security that pays the price.
I rarely ever use WMP anymore but on the rare occassion it has its usefulness. However, I might want to use WinAmp or something else. This also creates an opportunity for Apple. Instead of Quicktime and iTunes as separate applications, fully integrating the two and making it a full fledged media player might be part of a future rebuild. It's something Apple should definitely consider. Another idea would bring iLife over to Windows.
Either way, this is a big win for consumers and a great middle finger to the EU Anti-Trust case. Tight integration, you say? Sorry, we're not playing that game anymore. Strip Windows clean and we'll still sell millions upon millions. Either way, Microsoft wins this battle.

"Tablet PC components should have followed the Windows Mobile Device Center pattern and only install when a digitizer/touch panel is present on the system."
The tablet input panel does that.
"These apps would break if the IE rendering engine was removed along with the IE app. I suspect that Windows Media Player also has many third-party dependencies."
Otherwise you'd have to do an install along with the application. That's just bad for numerous reasons. If you had to bundle a dependency, Microsoft would be in a whole other realm of hurt from the EC for not giving out source code for compiling your own version of their API's.

"A lot of those options are already removable in Windows Vista. Some require that you use an unattended install and configure the components through WinSIM, but the option is available."
Yep they sure are. However I am sure this will be listed in the "Major" upgrade features of 7 so as to sell a book???

"Remove all the bits and you're lft with MS-DOS. Which, of course, is the foundation of Windows."
Wow....
Even if it was, which it isnt, that's still younger than the foundation of OSX...
Why am I even responding to this idiot...

@robertsjoe,
Wow, indeed.
You have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. Everyone knows since Windows 2000, DOS has been out of Windows. Windows ME was the very last edition to have DOS as a major component in a Windows Operating System. XP, Vista, and every server version since has been DOS free. All that is left of DOS in Windows is by NTVDM (NT Virtual DOS Machine) and isn't any part of the foundation anymore. Don't believe me? Go try running command.com on an Windows XP boot disk. Get back to me how successful you are. If you do, then we all know you're lying.
Do you just make this stuff up as you go? Just to sound cool? Well, let me give you some advice. What sounds cool in your head, makes no sense in the real world. Sorry, you're not Steve Jobs. Another Epic Fail here.
Master3, you are responding to this idiot because its way too easy. Because he doesn't know jack about Windows, doesn't have an open mind, is a flame baiter, and has no life. Thats sad when a 5th grader knows more about DOS and Windows than robertsjoe.
Its sad that such a good operating system such as OS-X is wasted on a fool like robertsjoe. Instead of basing Windows, you could be creating videos, doing community service, learning something about how Windows works, or maybe pay attention to your studies. But you're on a Windows site trying to dis an OS. Yeah, thats really cool there pal.
At least I had a good laugh at his comments. Pretty damn funny.

@robertsjoe - All this time I thought that you were just a kid...I am starting to lean towards just a complete loser now. If you knew the first thing about computer operating systems, you would know that DOS has not been a part of windows for quite some time and that the underbelly of OS X is FreeBSD. That you would post something such as what you did speaks volumes about your intelligence in this subject. How can you possibly justify your post as truthful, intelligent, or even funny? You should probably buy some books and try to learn a little bit about what you are trying to sound like you know something about. You are an embarrassment...
--tayme

"I am sure this will be listed in the "Major" upgrade features"
....that, and the other 299. ;)
"What a truly horrible mobile browser."
....and today another 200 webpages have now become "iPhone-optimized". You know what that means? It means there's no Flash, no AJAX, and no extravagant layouts. (This says a lot about the "success" of desktop browsers on mobile platforms - not just Safari, I might add....it just feuled this obsession with trying to browse websites on a screen that's at least 1/8th the size of screen that those websites are designed for)
IE Mobile has been supporting "iPhone-optimized" websites for years now.
iPhone: bringing you innovations that someone else already did.

The real question regarding the "removal" of IE8 is...
If I open a Windows Explorer window, and type a URL in the location bar (or whatever it is called now....can you still type a free form location?), does the window "morph" into a browser (IE8), and allow you to surf?
In my opinion....the ability to do that is pretty darn cool. I've always thought so, since the ability to do that became available.
If you can do that though, IE8 isn't really "removed". Only the stand alone executable is removed......because it's actually "integrated" into the OS.
I don't really think having IE8 installed is a big deal...having it integrated.......well.......still, don't think it's really such a big deal.
I don't use IE either way.

@robertsjoe
"Yet OS X is a far superior OS than DOS and Windows combined."
yeah! that is why sooo many people use it...
in OUR world, living in capitalism means that a product's market share shows how well its features and performance satisfy customer expectations relative to its PRICE.
we also know that there is no hardware difference anymore between MACs and PCs (chipset, CPU, HDD, RAM, optical drive all the same...okay, the Mac case is pretty and shiny...).
Apple having 3-5% market share (depending who you believe) means that they either have an inferior product or the price does not justify the technological advantage. Either way the APPLE product proposition is INFERIOR to Microsoft products by a very wide margin.
to rephrase that: if you have 3 other family members in your household (parents and a brother/sister) there is good chance that one of them is using a Windows box. if not, you may look at your dog, as it is probably "rolling" with a 7" netbook for ordering dogfood from Amazon...

@hamilton "Looks like rob and Lind are back with their mac worshiping views"
Yeah because my single post said so much about the mac????
Pure genius brother. I hope your day job requires a lot of manual labor, so you excel. Please go to www.rif.org, it has helped other wintards at this site as well.

robertsjoe said:
Interesting story about Windows' "inherent insecurity and instability"
linuxlock.blogspot.com/.../tempers-flare-as-recession-creeps-into.htm
My comments:
That story is so totally made up. Any assault by an IT profession while on the job in ANY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES is grounds for automatic termination and arrest. That's your attack on Windows? Made up stories by Linux fanboys that couldn't possibly be true?
Second, as I've pointed out, the Linux kernel for the last 3 years has been the 2nd most vulnerable to the Mac OS-X operating systems. From IBM's X-Force Mid Year reports, the National Vulnerability Reports, security reports from Microsoft, Secunia, and iThreats reports come to the same conclusion. While Microsoft Windows is the most high profile and most frequently targeted OS in the last 3 years Microsoft OS'es have the fewest number of vulnerabilities and days of risk. For the last 3 years both OS-X and every flavor of Linux has been in the top 2.
Paul, you really should ban this idiot.

@robertsjoe - "Windows' "inherent insecurity and instability""
You just keep proving your lack of knowledge...no OS is inherently secure...none. Sorry, that is just a fact that you have not yet learned.
--tayme

"I thought Windows DVD Maker was not included with Windows 7"
Huh? It's right there! I dunno how you can miss it really.
It's a simple program really when you think about it. They should just merge the DVD menu creation features into WL Movie Maker, or make it a separately downloadable program and market it as a complementary add-on - "Movie Maker DVD Creation Kit" or something like that. Menu themes should each be available separately also.
MMDCK. Even robertsjoe's mom can remember that. :P